Synopsis:

By 1943, Anna Zadok, a Jewish Christian living in Prague, has lost everything, including her career as a concert violinist and almost her entire family. The only person she has left is her beloved grandmother, and she's determined to keep her safe. But protecting Grandmother won't be easy--not with a Nazi officer billeted below them.

Anna must keep a low profile. There's one thing she refuses to give up, though. Despite instruments being declared illegal, Anna defiantly continues to practice her violin. She has to believe that the war will end someday and her career will be waiting. Fortunately for Anna, the officer, Horst Engel, enjoys her soothing music. It distracts him from his dissatisfaction with Nazi ideology and reminds him that beauty still exists in an increasingly ugly world.

When his neighbors face deportation, Horst is moved to risk everything to hide them. Anna finds herself falling in love with the handsome officer and his brave heart. But what he reveals to her might break her trust and stop the music forever. . . .

I would like to thank Gilead Publishing for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.

What a hauntingly beautiful book! Author Liz Tolsma wrote a touching, hopeful, thoughtful story about one of the worst times in the history of man. I don’t read many books about World War II. Especially ones that deal with Hitler and the treatment of the Jewish people. But I was intrigued by the blurb of this book and needed to give it a chance. I am so glad I did!

Horst is a Nazi officer who has been driven by the need to impress his father. Though he thinks about his mother and her influence and reaction to the things going on in the Reich, until he meets Anna and comes face to face personally with the plight of the Jews, he is unaffected.

Anna, a Christian Jew, has lost almost her entire family to the death camps. Left to care for her grandmother through the help of a friend of her brother, things are okay. Until she gets notice that they are now to report to be deported.

Patricie is a Christian and has been working with the Underground, helping hide Jews and provide for them with forged ration cards and papers. Until she gets the attention of a cruel Nazi officer who begins to follow her and force her to go on dates with him. To protect those she is hiding and those working with her, she quits the Underground.

Though the story is filled with intrigue, action and suspense, it is also a tender story of falling in love and the love of family. It is also the story of learning about God’s forgiveness and how it is unlimited – He forgives again and again and again.

This beautiful quote gives you an idea of the beautiful writing in the book:

The music rose from deep inside her, swelling in her chest, commanding her fingers to draw the bow across the strings. It lifted her from this place and this time, to a spot where beauty lived. Then she closed her eyes and coaxed the notes from her instrument. The world disappeared as the melody rose and fell, intense, passionate, breath-robbing.

This is the first line from the book:

Anna Zadokova held her mother’s tiny body close.

What are you reading today? Will you share the first sentence (or two or three) of the book in the comments? If you want to see more First Line Friday posts, visit Hoarding Books to see all of the First Line Friday pages this week.

About Liz Tolsma

Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels and prairie romance novellas. The Rails to Love collection released in October 2016. The Matchmaker Brides collection releases in February 2017, and her next WWII novel, The Melody of the Soul, is scheduled to release in April 2017. She is a popular speaker and an editor. She has lived in Wisconsin most of her life, and she now resides next to a farm field with her husband and their two daughters. Her son proudly serves as a U.S. Marine. They adopted all of their children internationally, and one has special needs. When not busy putting words to paper, she enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping with her family. Please visit her blog, The Story behind the Story, at www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@LizTolsma), and LinkedIn. She is also a regular contributor to the Pencildancer blog and the Midwest Almanac blog.